Alone

After wandering around aimlessly, he came upon an old church. The church was worn with age and looked abandoned. The old man step inside, propelled by his weariness. Although the church was old,it still held the beauty of what it once was. The old man stood at the back, staring down the single aisle. There were wooden pews on both sides of the concrete aisle that had seen better days. He moved one foot in front of the other, heavy with fatigue. As he approached the altar,  he sat down on the pew that appeared to be the least eaten by termites. The old man closed his eyes and hung his head low, not knowing the proper protocol while in a church. He hadn’t meant to be here but somehow at this moment, he felt it was the right place to be.

He had attended church a few times growing up but after his mother died when he was 15, he had no desire to want to be faithful. He took a deep breath and was startled by a loud booming noise. The old man opened his eyes and lifted his head to find a man standing in front of him, at the altar. Too shocked to speak, the old man just stared at the man in front of him. The newcomer was a younger man, casually dressed in a pair of jeans and a tee shirt but wore no shoes on his feet. Do not be afraid. The words echoed in the old man’s mind. He gasps and finally found his voice, “Who are you?” The younger man smiled as he spoke, “I am known by many name but you know who I am.” The old man squinted his eyes but could not place the young man anywhere. The young man continued, “You are hurting but you must remember that there is a reason for all of your suffering.” At that, something clicked in the old man’s head. “It was you! You were there when my mother died.” The young man nodded. “But how can that be?” said the old man. “You look the same; That was such a long time ago.” The old man started to remember the day his mother died. She had been in the hospital for a while and visiting hours had just started. He walked into her room to find this same young man standing by her bedside, holding her hand. The old man had asked the same question back then: Who are you? The answer at that time was “I am your help.” He had thought that the man meant he was a nurse but now he’s not so sure.

Suddenly the old man was withered with fear. He found his voice, timid yet clear, “Why are you here, now?” The young man laughed and said, “I am here for you now as I was when the days were darker.” The old man sighed in relief so the young man continued. “You suffered but you grew strong within your pain. Without suffering, no one would truly know joy. Life is less about whether the glass is half full or half empty. It’s about finding the opportunities that lead to you seeing the whole picture. I am here as a reminder to you. You may not have faith in me but I have faith in you.” As sudden as the young man appeared, he was no longer there and the old man found himself alone again but with renewed strength to face the world and all its beauty.